Moonflowers
by Jade130
Summary: Princess Arainyana's, or Captain Arain's, past is anything but pleasent, but despite this, she and her crew of misfits of try and pull together to try & save her people. But what will happen hen a vaguely familiar object lands on her ship?
1. cpt 1:Prologue

Moon Flowers  
An Epic Tale of Angst, Adventure, and Romance  
By Jade130  
  
Chapter one: Prologue  
  
Once there was a little girl. A girl who had a river of shining black hair, and eyes the colour of the finest silver. She had a loving mother, Ara, of whom she resembled, a loyal brother, Val, who always defended her, and a proud father, whose name was King Marcus Leo II of the Black City, the capital of a continent in the innermost shadows of Arcadia and undiscovered by any other human being, but if you think her life was perfect, you would be dreadfully wrong. When the girl became of nine years old, she started showing symptoms of a strange power. The same kind of power that her mother, the Queen Ara, possessed but many times greater. She could move things with her mind and her visions were quite frequent. This power may seem useful to you, but to the little girl, it was as good as a curse, for in addition to her psychic powers, she could not touch a living soul save her family because of their blood relation to her, or she would absorb their memories. This was terribly hard on the young girl's mind, if you can imagine a nine year old soaking up the memories of an adult, it would put extreme pressure on her psyche, causing her to black out for many painful days, sometimes weeks. However, after she had touched someone, she would be able to do so again without hurting herself. She would also have recurrent migraines that seemed to come from no-where. Queen Ara tried desperately to keep her daughter's power an unreserved secret, so she could grow up normally, like all the other children, but the little girl was a princess, and rumors soon spread like wildfire. Soon, everyone feared her thinking she could summon an earthquake to swallow them whole. For the rest of her youth, she was a lonely child, for everyone had abandoned her, with the exception of her mother. Her mother taught her how to control her powers, as well as other things, and the girl was fairly content . . . that is until that fateful day . . . On the little girl's twelfth birthday, men from above the dark clouds unexpectedly arrived. The little girl and her mother sensed the evil intentions in their cold gaze, and tried frantically to persuade the King Marcus that they were up to something wicked, but he was a pompous, mulish, little man, and would reason with no one but himself and the visitors who had brought him gold and precious gems.  
Before long, the leader of the men, whose eyes were as cold as death, and walked with an air of iniquity about him, befriended the foolish king and his son, Prince Val, promising them their utmost loyalty and in return, her father gave him everything he asked for, including the lions share of his kingdom, and the prince listened and obeyed him until he was gone without a chance of redemption. A year passed, and then on the girl's 13th birthday, the evil man and his underlings betrayed the royal family. He sent the king to a remote and isolated island, where he became insane from his despair. The naïve prince was, of course, still eternally loyal to the cold-eyed man and became his second hand. The only being that resisted, was Queen Ara, who knew what was happening was wrong. The queen defied the cruel man, and was killed by his second hand, her own son, right in front of the girl's eyes. Blinded by rage, the mere thirteen year old summoned all the energy she could muster to smite the evil men in a rampant inferno of black fire, and killed them all. Except her brother, whose blood relation to her deflected the attack, allowing him to escape unscathed, and the evil man, who was left terribly weak. Humiliated, he fled, leaving his second hand to continue his reign of terror until he returned, and the girl, who had passed out of fatigue from the assault, to be isolated with her father, who did not even remember his name, much less his own daughter. That is until she grew into a woman, built her own ship, and fled the island to seek allies to overthrow the tyrant that was her brother. I know this story, because I new that little girl. That little girl was me. My name is Princess Arainyana Lyoria, Princess of the Forgotten Realm, and I will avenge my mother. 


	2. cpt 2:Distubance

Disclaimer: I've already said, I do not own SoA, or it's characters but I really, really want to! If you have it, I will be your servant for life! PLEEEASSE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I own all the other characters except the name Arain. I also own the name Karoe. I made it up myself, so please don't steal it (like you would want to).  
Authors note: I am revising all my chapters, and I added cpt #4, which doesn't need any work so far. I do need help though cause I cant get italics to show up, so if you know, please put it in your review, and if you don't know, please review anyways! ^_^ Merci beaucoup tout le monde!  
  
Chapter I  
  
I sat on the cold railing of my ship, the Cobra, thinking about my country in despair. I am the Princess of Darklings, people of the banished black moon. Our history is long forgotten by the outsiders, but to us, it is a long and proud one. We have dwelled beneath the clouds for centuries, ever since the other continents banished our moon from the sky and sunk our country into the depths in hopes we would perish. However, we did not. We survived due to the power of our black moonstones, with the power of time; we created a shell of frozen time to protect ourselves. But enough with history, it depresses me, so much like everything else.  
You are probably wondering, whoever you are, if I am as powerful as I say I am. Well shall I tell you then, that I've shattered priceless statues? Or that I've even been known to blow up entire buildings with my mind? I've never meant to do this, of course. It only happens when I am under extreme amounts of pressure, which is frequently, much to my dismay. My mother didn't show signs of this power until she was in her teens. I, however, started right after I was nine. I broke all the glass vases in a room every time I was angry, and furniture fell apart every time I was frustrated. It became so bad that I could not be alone with anyone but my mother until I learned to control it. These powers were the reason my family suffered.  
After my so-called brother took over, my country and its people have suffered so much. He has unleashed a new reign of totalitarianism. And the worst part is, even with all of my powers, I cannot stop him. We are bound by blood, and my powers have no affect against him. That is why I must circle the globe for people who show signs of powers similar to mine. I have gathered only a few, but they are enough, and in the process, they have become my friends.  
The first member of my crew is named Artemis, but is called Sparks, unless you have a death wish or you are her mother. She was born and raised in Maramba, and specializes in the magic of the red moon. Her mother wanted her to grow up and become a world-renowned dancer, like her mother before her, and her mother before her, but Sparks was soon sick of her mother's consistent prying whenever she made the stage burst into flames (Sparks is hardly graceful). She is more of a tomboy; with apple red hair cropped short, tanned skin, and plenty of freckles. Her weapon is the chucking star, but mans the cannons during ship battles. She is kind, but will explode if you get on her bad side.  
Karoe is next. She is the youngest of my crew, only twelve, making her a novice at battles, but not stopping her from being the greatest cook, so I have made her healer. She is much more feminine that Sparks, with her elbow length gray-green hair and modest demeanor. Orphaned as a young girl in Ixa-taxa, she was sent to work in the moonstone mines as a slave for most of her young life. She almost died when a boulder fell on her, but because of her extraordinary ability to heal herself, she lived with only a few scars.  
Sula is from Yafutoma, and thusly knows all of the blue spells. She has quite an attitude much similar to Sparks. Her black hair is shaggy with cerulean streaks in it. She is an expert in Yafutoman style sword fighting, and carries a samurai blade with a tear-shaped blue moonstone in the hilt. Along with that, her lightning quick reflexes make her perfect for helmsman. She is only here because in her home, her family thought her a disgrace because every time they would try to find a suitable husband for her, she would accidentally blow them onto the top of Mount Kazai and sent her away, where she met me and joined the "merry band of misfits".  
Last, but not least, there is Emma. She is from Valua, so she, like every one on my ship, knows all the magic of her moon. Her weapon of choice is a whip. She is not helping me because of any favor, but because she wanted to escape Valua. Not lower Valua, as you may think, but Upper Valua. Her parents wanted her to marry off to a man who treated her like rubbish, just so they could get his family's wealth added to their own. Although it pained her leave her brother, she could no-longer stand to be in the same house with the rest of her family. She's quiet with strangers, but with us, she's a livewire, with curly naturally blonde hair to match.  
This is my "motley crew". We sail on the ship, named the Cobra, I made out of Harya trees, the only wood that grows in the dark city, with a coating of black moonstone polish, so it will be protected if I ever need to go back into deep sky. But to continue.  
There I sat with one knee hugged to my chest and the other dangling dangerously over the edge in the dead of night, alone, staring at the stars. I can't go out in the day without something over my eyes. I was born and raised in darkness, so exposure to too much light would blind me. I started to hum a wordless melody from my childhood, and it seemed to echo through the sky. The breeze making my knee-length black hair and black robes flutter. The stars calm me. I like the way they always form the same patterns every night and their light seems to twinkle like silver dust.  
I was interrupted by a slight but intended cough from behind me. I whipped my head around to see Karoe. "Cant sleep?" she asked.  
"No, its not that," I replied, "I get enough sleep during the day. I come out a lot at night to think."  
"You think of your people?" she said. She may only be twelve, which is nine years younger than me, but she is not stupid.  
"How did you guess?" I said in a cynical tone.  
"You are always one for sarcasm."  
The memories of that day so many years ago were forever engraved into my memory, and seared into my mind. I had only but a little hope left, and when that was gone, I was afraid to think of what I would do. I was always afraid. For my life and for my people. I was always on the verge of tears whenever I was alone, but I never cried. I had forbidden myself to cry ever since mama died, and I was not about to let go now.  
"Someday," I said and interrupted the silence, "Someday I will save them. I will save them all and I will show no mercy to those who made so many suffer."  
"You mean you will kill them?" she whispered ", what of your fear of blood?"  
How did she know? I had never told anyone that the sight of blood made me relive the gruesome memories I was forced to deal with. Did she see my face every time someone defeated an enemy and I had to throw the corpse over the side of the ship? I had always been careful. She must have just guessed.  
"I will do as I must." I said brusquely. Just then, I heard a loud rumbling in the distance, the made the earth tremble, and it came from the north. Soon, I had all four girls on deck, night robes and all.  
"What in the heck was that?!" came Emma's melodic voice as she crept out the door.  
"I don't know, but what ever it was is gonna PAY for waking me up! I was having the best dream!" I recognized the irritated voice of Sparks, and I could tell she hadn't had enough sleep yet, because her fists were curled into tight balls and she had an irked expression on her freckled face, and she was stomping all about. She is not a morning person.  
"Ugg! Shut up Sparks! The last thing we need now is to hear you annoying griping!" I could tell Sula was irked too, with her arms crossed and tapping her foot in an annoyed way. I could tell that the thing that started that noise was not in for a pleasing welcome.  
I knew what that noise was, and I knew where it was ", Get to your stations everyone! We're heading towards The Silver moon territory!"  
"Aye Aye!" 


	3. cpt 3: Catfights and Surprises

Disclaimer: I do not own Skies of Arcadia, and probably wont. But if you do, I will do ANYTHING!!! I will clean all the floors in your house with a TOOTHPICK, wash your car until you can see your face in it, groom your dog, clean out your cat's litter box, re-roof your house, ANYTHING!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!  
Authors note: See that little button at the bottom of this page? Its called a "review button" If you press, it, you will get good luck, but in order to get good luck from it, you must review the story! If you fail to do so, the evil pigeons will poop on your head! SO REVIEW! (Unless you actually want bird poop on your head.)  
Also, to Desert lynx: thank you for reviewing  
To KateeLern: Yeah, I know it sounds like Desert Lynx's, I wrote the prologue before I even heard of this site, I would try and fix it, but I don't know how without messing up or deleting something I don't want to.  
  
I made sure we traveled beneath the clouds, as so no one could spot us. A pure black ship would surely raise suspicion, and I didn't feel secure until the very top of the flag, which was of a cobra, was safely under.  
"Captain Arain, you seem to know about the noise, what is it?" Sparks asked.  
I simply gave a half smile, and then said ", there could only be one thing that could shake the earth like that. I've never seen it happen before, but there is no mistaking it."  
"WHAT!?!?!?!?" Sula yelped, half begging.  
I cocked my head and turned to her, "Soltis."  
They all gasped.  
"But it's been sunken for centuries! Who could have remembered where it was?" said Karoe.  
"My continent has been sunken for longer, yet here I am. Is it not possible that someone escaped the attack on Soltis too?" I asked them ", besides, the Silvite's knowledge of technology did rival our own." By know I was thoroughly enjoying the shock on their faces.  
"I guess that's true," sighed Karoe ", but. AAAAH!" There was another explosion, but this time, it was a ship.  
"How in the heck did they get to this low of altitude?!" I spat ", FIRE THE CANNONS!!!!!!!"  
Sparks flew as fast as she could to the cannons, though still a little grumpy (yes, this is a little grumpy for her). "UGG! This is NOT the time for a ship battle, and whoever is attacking us, is gonna be one SORRY S.O.B. by the time they're through with ME!!!" She hissed, as she loaded the Pyrulen cannon.  
The shot hit the ship, but did hardly any damage, so as you can imagine, Sparks got frustrated. very frustrated. She looked like she was about to shoot laser beams from her eyes. She's done that before.  
"AAAARRGGGG! You STUPID B******! WHY WONT YOU HOLD STILL!!!! I am SO gonna get you!!! Captain! Can we fire the umbra ray YET?"  
"Wait and see what he does first, then I think we will have enough SP!"  
A few turns went by, and then we finally had enough, so after signaling the command, Sparks flipped the lever to start the major attack.  
So out of the snake figurine's mouth on the front of the ship came a colossal wave of black energy. It closed upon the enemy and caused the ship to age rapidly until it turned into powder and dust. This was an ancient form of power I had secretly studied about when my tutors were not looking; about as powerful as the rumored Vyse the king of Rogue's moonstone cannon was famed to be, only instead of using the solis (sun) power, we use the reverse, the umbra, or shade.  
"HA!" Sparks gave a triumphant laugh ", that will teach you to mess with US!"  
"Humph, more like 'don't mess with me, I've got permanent PMS'" joked Sula.  
This wasn't a smart remark on Sula's part. I could almost see the heat radiating from Sparks's face, seconds before she lost control and fire produced from her eyes, headed strait for her. Luckily, Sula has power too, and sent a windstorm swirling out of her sword that put out the flames. Sparks became enraged, and talked Sula, causing a catfight between the two. Meanwhile, I was getting impatient.  
I pointed my fingers at the two of them and focused. This caused them to be forced apart, slamming them harshly onto opposite walls.  
"What did I say about using powers against each other on this ship" I spat, glaring them each in the eye. Their eyes grew round; because they knew I was dead serious.  
"Now," I said more calmly ", we will continue our trip and if I hear another argument." I again attained my venomous hiss ", I will take both of you right back to where you came from."  
And I knew home was the last thing either Sula or Sparks wanted. They were both runaways. I was the only one who knew either of their pasts. But I will get to that some other time.  
As we sailed on, I noticed a faint rumbling in the distance. It has begun, I thought. I knew that anyone brash enough to raise Soltis did not have er. benevolent intentions, and that I was sure of. Huh.?  
"Ack!" I yelped. The sun was coming up. It hurt my eyes. I quickly dashed into my room and retrieved a pair of tinted spectacles. I put them on, upon which I found myself gazing into my mirror. I was quite short. Not much more than four foot five. I had dark, shiny black hair that went down to my knees. It is custom in my country to never cut your hair until you turn of an eligible age, but even after that, I found I couldn't do it. My slightly naturally tanned skin was still a little darker than my mother's, because I have seen the sun. But unlike her, my eyes were very pale blue- gray, hers were a very beautiful blue. The only makeup I ever wore was kohl, which is also a custom in the shadows. I sighed. I wasn't really as outgoing as Sula, as spunky as Sparks, or as compassionate as Emma, and my "freakish" powers would scare away any of the boys I practiced flirting with as a child. Ah well.  
I managed to tear myself away from my reflection and rushed back on deck, where my speculations were true. I saw the white tip of Soltis in the distance, and around that, where many ships, battling against one another. I decided to keep the Cobra out of reach. The one ship looked highly treacherous. Then, I saw a huge flash of light, as the big ship was struck.  
"My word!" Emma gasped.  
"What the.?" shrieked Sula.  
"Sister Mary Francis!" exclaimed Sparks.  
"It isn't!" cried Karoe.  
Ah, but it was. The moonstone cannon. That must be the infamous Vyse's ship. I would have wanted to get a nearer look, for I was curious. But he might mistake me for a foe, I wasn't sure which one of the cannon's were stronger, solis, or umbra, and I didn't fancy to find out.  
The big ship did not fall into deep sky, but rather hovered for a moment before I noticed that four people boarded it.  
"Captain Arain! We await your orders!" Sparks said.  
"We move in."  
"BUT CAPTAIN!"  
"You didn't let me finish," I snapped, "we move in.but below the clouds. We dock there for the night."  
All we heard for several hours was unswerving cannon fire. That was, until a dark shadow moved over the Cobra. It was then we heard another explosion, and we saw two entangled ships, one was the big one, and the other a smaller sandy coloured one, fall into deep sky in a mass of fire.  
We decided it would be best if we were to use a shield on our ship, so we would be protected during the night. I cast my special attack "opacare stella" that formed a protective bubble around the ship that would last so long as the stars were out.  
The next morning, I found that there were no cannon shots. I looked, and. Soltis was. GONE!  
"WE MISSED THE FINALI! Oh drat!" Sula was really looking forward to the action packed battle.  
"Oh, Sula will you. wait." is stopped ".what's that?" I whispered, as I noticed a silvery glint in the crow's nest. I pointed my hand at the object, and it flew strait into my palm.  
In my hand, glowing with a high intensity or what I recognized as solis energy, was a perfectly round, silver sphere. 


	4. cpt 4: Voices

Disclaimer: I do not own skies of arcadia(. Why do you keep reminding me of this? YOU'RE SO HURTFUL!!!! (Starts bawling for a while) *sniff* ahem.  
Authors note: To yukistar2: Thank you for reviewing (  
To Desert Lynx: Thank you for reviewing again.(  
To Thomas Fitzgibbons: Thank you for reviewing. (  
This story might be a little longer that previous chapters (I think . . .) I did really rush the chapters, but there is a reason, see, usually, when I try to write a story, I picture it in my mind, and the problem here is that I spent more time thinking about the middle and end of the story rather than the beginning Also to point out the grammar problem, if it was just the dialogue that seemed off, it was meant to be that way. Most of the crew has very bad grammar ( Oh yes, and Ive added on to the prologue so it is a little longer. But to continue:  
  
Chapter three  
  
Voices  
  
"Wh. . . What is it?" gasped Emma. The rest of them followed the same hint of wonderment.  
  
I looked at them for a while, and then I realized I had a dorky expression on my face, and hastily wiped it off. Emotions were a sign of weakness where I come from ", you must never speak of what you have seen. You shall NOT, I repeat NOT, tell ANYONE"  
  
"Not even Karl?" Sparks said. Karl was her new "boyfriend". When I say that, it means, she will rant on and on about how sweet he is, then from out of the blue, she will shriek about what a total jerk he is, and refuse to speak of him again.  
  
"ECPECIALLY not Karl," I replied.  
  
"But what IS it?"  
  
"Do not ask questions now, you will know when I think it is time you should know" I impatiently huffed ", I am getting another migraine, I must withdraw to my quarters, take us to our base" And with that I dashed off to my room with no further explanation. Our base was in Ixa-taka, because the compact foliage would cover up most traces of where we had been.  
  
It wasn't as though I had lied to them, I was getting another of my more and more frequent headaches, but I do believe I could have given them some sort of enlightenment on the situation at hand. Or at least hint to them that a silvite had died. But then again, an object with this much Solis energy was very dangerous business.  
  
So I set the crystal down on the metallic black end table in the centre of the room, and heard the creak of moving furniture as I pulled the nearest chair over to it, flopped into it and gazed at the crystal. What should I do? I thought. I know its dangerous, so what's to stop me from chucking it over the edge? I sighed. I knew I wasn't about to get anything accomplished just by staring at the cursed thing, but as odd as it may seem, I was quite curious.  
  
I sighed again as I picked it up and put it in a box on my dresser. I then received a painful burst in my head, as that usually happens with my headaches, and collapsed on the bed, and plummeted into the same dream I'd been having for years.  
  
Blood . . . Everywhere . . . A scream . . . A pair of cold, black eyes . . . Fire . . .MOTHER!!!  
  
I woke up screaming bloody murder, and gradually calmed down as I took in the familiar surroundings. I had to get fresh air.  
  
I opened my window and saw that it was again, night. The pain in my head was still there, thumping away, just to get on my nerves.  
  
"Ugggh" I groaned as I leaned on the cool windowsill. I felt like I was going to vomit.  
  
"Why did this always happen to me? I hate this stupid curse!" I whispered to myself ", I wish I had died with my mother so I wouldn't have to put up with this torture!" But then I remembered all the families that were suffering under the rule of my so-called 'brother'. Somehow this thought always kept me going, knowing that if I was their only chance, though it didn't stop me from hating my life. I tend to blame a lot of people for what happened to me, from the sadist for existing, my father for letting him take over, by 'brother' for being to easily led astray, my mother for leaving me, to myself because I could have prevented the whole thing. I could have stopped it! Why didn't I? I went into another fresh surge of depression as the memories replayed themselves over and over in my head. "Why do my dreams always have to remind me? Do they take pleasure in seeing me like this!?" I silently barked as I drove my fist into the windowsill and felt the sharp jolt of pain crawl up my arm. I All I wanted to do was cry, but I knew that it would be a sign of weakness, and the last thing I wanted was my crew to think that their captain was weak, so I bit my lip and held it in as I sat down on the antique chair by the table. But suddenly, I heard a faint voice.  
  
"Help . . . me . . ."  
  
I jumped right out of my chair, lit a candle, and dashed around the room, trying to find the source of the voice. Maybe it was my imagination. After all, we were in the middle of the sky! Who could have possibly gotten on board without our knowing?  
  
"Help . . . Me . . ." The sound was defiantly getting stronger, so I knew it had to be in the room. Was it a ghost? Or was it one of the girls trying to scare me.  
  
"Sparks, Sula, Karoe, Emma, if this is anyone of you'd best knock it off before I hurt you!" I scowled from beneath my public mask.  
  
"Help . . . Me . . ." It was getting clearer, it sounded like it was coming from . . . THE BOX!  
  
I crept over to the table, carefully picked up the box, and put it to my ear. It was . . . BREATHING! I dropped the box in alarm and was hesitant to pick it back up, so with hands quivering, my fingers curled around the edges of the box and tentatively opened it, and was blinded by a stream of silver Solis energy that filled the light with white light. The whole ship started to shake, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before the crew awoke and Sparks storming in here with her fire-breathing attitude, but I wasn't worried about that just yet. The light rushing into my eyes was even more painful than the headaches, so I dropped the crystal yet again and fell to my knee's with my hands clasped over my eyes to prevent more damage, only I did not hear it fall. It must have sustained floating in the air!  
  
Then, I heard the door slam open and a loud, angry "WHAT THE H*** IS GOING ON HEEeeeeeeeaaAAACK!!!!" and there was soon a clip-clop of boots as all for girls entered the room, and a series of shrieks, and then the sound swords being drawn.  
  
The, I felt the light on my face decrease drastically, so I daringly opened one of my eyes a smidgen, only to see the crystal was expanding. I reached toward my belt and grasped the hilt of my scimitar in case I needed it. After all, I'd never seen anything like this before. I didn't know what to expect, but I kept my face hidden because I didn't want anyone to know I didn't recognize what was going on. I could tell my eyes were red by the way they stung and they were starting to water, but I kept them open never the less.  
  
I turned around to face my counterparts, their faces filled with awe and shock, the I looked back as the crystal then took full form of a human man, a silvite, sword in hand, preparing to attack. 


	5. cpt 5: Paradox

Disclaimer: Yay! I finally got property of skies of arcadia! WOOHOO! (*Wakes up*)  
  
NOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! Curse my infernal existence!!! Well then, (*Then says between sobs*) I do not . . .  
  
sniff . . . own skies of arcadia . . . hiccup . . . or its characters except mine (nudges Jane Spencer very hard) . . .  
  
WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! . . . Ahem.  
  
Authors note: Anyways, thanks to all who have reviewed so far. I hope to get more, but I cannot get my hopes up. And to  
  
Jane Spencer: How the heck did you find me?! I thought my disguise was perfect. HUMPH! I am using my prologue as an  
  
English assignment, only altered slightly to prevent confoozelment of the teachers who have not played the greatest game  
  
in the history of Nintendo! But all of my classmates who reviewed it thought it was really good, so I must not be too  
  
incompetent .. Anyways, hopefully my chapters will expand in size as my story progresses, and I wont look so much like  
  
a ninny against all of you, whose chapters make mine look like processed cheese, or I could cheat by using double spaced  
  
font @. O. Oh yes, thanks again to Jane Spencer (yes, I know her) She is the censor person, and also the editor for  
  
spelling errors.  
  
Chapter V  
Paradox  
  
For a moment, everything seemed to sit still, as though time had stopped. I blinked a few times, to make sure the  
  
image in front of me was real. In all the books on the Silvites I've read, I'd never heard of one coming back from the dead  
  
before. Maybe there was something I'd missed, but now was not the time to think about it. I just stood there, waiting for  
  
someone to do something, but I knew I had to get out of that room and on to the deck before my quarters were slashed  
  
into bits. He was the first to attack.  
  
In a fraction of a second, I had my scimitar out and easily blocked the attack with an array of sparks as the blow  
  
tried to strike my head, then dashed out the door after my crew, and on the deck. The next thing I knew, I heard Sparks  
  
chanting her special attack.  
  
"Fire of might, I call upon the ancient force to destroy the foe! Falling Embers!" she shouted as she threw a handful of  
  
chucking stars into the sky. As they fell, they burst into flame and landed in a circular pattern around the mysterious enemy.  
  
Unfortunately, none of them hit.  
  
As I was about to cast my most valued spell, Temptrulen, to slow the enemy, the stranger had begun his attack on  
  
Sula. Just like a silvite. They always attack one person at a time. Sula was ready though. She had whipped out her sword  
  
from its scabbard and had blocked the attack, but then as she turned around, he hit her from behind with eternum. She let  
  
out a slight cry and was knocked unconscious.  
  
"How dare you!" shrieked Sparks ", I'll get you for that!" So with that, she summoned the power Pyrulen. This time,  
  
her aim was true.  
  
As the blazing fire ceased, the form of the stranger came back into focus. Though to all of our surprise, he seemed to  
  
be quite unharmed! He lunged out of the smoldering smoke and drove his sword strait through Karoe's heart.  
  
There were several gasps that emitted from the ship, as everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Karoe  
  
collapsed onto the hard deck with a soft thud onto her hands and knees. I heard Sparks and Emma whimper slightly, but I  
  
knew better.  
  
As the mysterious man backed away with a smirk of accomplishment on his face, Karoe lifted her head, to reveal  
  
that she was giggling. He whipped his head around in shock as Karoe was soon filling the silence with gales of laughter.  
  
For as she stood, there was a tear in her dress, and the wound sealed itself in an amazing display of green light. I knew  
  
this would happen. Though I knew Karoe could not fight, she could heal herself, even mortal wounds.  
  
"It's been a while! I never thought I'd see you again," she serenely said once she had stopped giggling.  
  
"Wha . . . " That was all he had managed to sputter out. I also noticed that Sparks and Emma had looks of complete  
  
befuddlement.  
  
"But of course you would not remember. But I do. Let me refresh your memory. It was seven years ago and I was  
  
only five . . . I remember working in the 'slave mines' in Moonstone Mountain. The soldiers were being exceptionally brutal  
  
that day. I was too young to lift anything heavy, but they made me carry big tools anyway. I was so afraid, because I  
  
knew that if I didn't do what they asked, they would punish me. I'd seen others after they'd been punished and it was  
  
enough to freeze a soul" she shuddered slightly, and then went on, "I tried and tried to lift them even an inch, but I just  
  
could not do it. The tools were heavy and cut at my hands like vicious steel traps," she said as she lifted her hands,  
  
revealing numerous scars. Sparks had made a move to attack the silvery haired man while he was off guard, but I put my sword in front of  
  
her, as a silent warning to stay away. I had made it a rule to never stab anyone in the back, from loopers to the most  
  
deadly enemy.  
  
"One of the guards saw me, and thought it would be amusing to strike. Just after he had hit me with the butt of his  
  
sword, I saw you. You defended me. If it were not for you, he probably would have beaten me to death. I could see it in  
  
his eyes. The next thing I knew a fight had broken out in the caves. I didn't see what happened then, but I heard something  
  
violently hit the side of the cave, causing it to collapse. One of the boulders hit me, pinning me to the floor. I couldn't get the  
  
stone off of me, and I was in so much pain. I thought that I was going to die. But you helped push the boulder off. You  
  
thought I was already dead, though I thought I was too. After I was left there for a few minutes, I noticed I could stand up.  
  
I felt . . . fine. I looked at my hands, which had been reduced to mere scars in a matter of minutes. I looked all around me,  
  
so I could thank you, but you were no-where to be seen. Now I finally have the chance to!" when she had finished, she  
  
looked at him for a moment, then frowned. "You have changed much," His eyes were wide open in shock for a moment,  
  
but then scowled.  
  
"I am no longer the person I was!" he had a voice filled with hatred and spite, "My soul purpose is to avenge Lord  
  
Galcian! I WILL KILL ALL WHO STAND IN MY WAY!"  
  
Galcian . . . that name . . .  
  
He then cast some sort of attack and knocked Emma unconscious and knocking me off my feet. I blocked the next  
  
attack as he savagely let loose one blow after another. I was finally able to get him off guard and send his sword flying.  
  
Before he could even reach for it, I used my hand and sent if up and up until it became wedged in the crow's nest. While  
  
he was looking at the sword, still shining in the eerie green moonlight, I high-kicked him square in the chest, knocking him of  
  
his feet. I pointed my scimitar to his neck and with the most calm and strong voice I could muster, I spoke.  
  
"You will tell me who you are, where you are from, and why you think I should spare your life after you attempted  
  
to kill my crew. If you resist, I will kill you. If you lie, I will know, and I will kill you.  
  
He said nothing for a moment, but rather looked at me with a stare of pure loathing. 


	6. cpt 6: Currently No title

Disclaimer: I don't own skies of arcadia or its characters. The only ones I own are the original ones. Do not steal them or I will have to sick Cupil on you. (Cupil rocks!) A.N.: Thank you very much to those who actually took the time to review my pathetic story, because even though none of you may like it, this is the farthest I ever have gotten on any story and I am proud of it. Please. If you have any heart, or even if you don't and you have a gapping black hole, please review. It means a lot to me. You can just write "kljhsdfkljhxciphjnewkiuxc" or a random word for all I care, but PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! You people who are not reviewing are only making my inferiority complex worse! (I'm trying to get over it, but my attempts are futile) Oh yes. If you have the time, I encourage you to go to Dark Ronin's site. Its coolsies! Here it is! Chapter 6! Oh, THE REASON THIS ONE IS SO SHORT IS BECAUSE IT IS NOT QUITE FINNISHED. I WILL ADD ON TO IT LATER!  
  
I then got a good look at the person I had trapped. He had white hair, like most Silvites, a pale face, and dark green eyes. Normal Silvite traits, but there was something in his expression. I was an expert at reading micro-expressions; you could not hide your true self from me unless you yourself were an expert in hiding. There was something in the mix of anger, hate and spite. It was pain. I could tell that even though he sported a vicious demeanor, his insides were screaming. I felt a wave of pity deep down. But he must be dealt with. I could not risk the alternative.  
  
"I don't owe you anything," he spat.  
  
"Yes, you do." I said and inched the blade closer to his throat, "I could kill you now if I wanted to, but lucky for you, I am more forgiving that the other bounty hunters. Get up." I put my sword back in it's sheath.  
  
"How do you know I won't escape?" He questioned with a bitter trace of ice still in his voice.  
  
"You won't," I replied, trying to keep my face as unreadable as possible, "You don't have your sword. Besides, even if my ship is above Ixa- taka, the drop is well around five hundred feet, and I don't even know if you would fall on land. You might just miss."  
  
"Then how do you know I won't kill you all in your sleep?" He was trying to read my face. Such a fruitless task. I rarely ever showed emotion, and when I did, I was smart enough to realize it and quickly shield it before too many noticed.  
  
"I think," I replied with a hint of mockery in my tone of voice, "You will find that quite difficult to accomplish."  
  
Whilst my "captive" and I had been conversing, Karoe had revived the others.  
  
"Just kill him now! He's a hazard to us all!" shouted Sula.  
  
"Sula, do you remember one of the rules on my ship?"  
  
"'No blood will be shed unless necessary'." She recited in monotone, "But can't we just chuck him off the ship?" She had that wild look in her eye.  
  
"No! You don't get it! You never will!" I realized I had lost my cool, and retrieved my calm as soon as I spotted it. "Remember Sula. I told you on day one that if you disobeyed me, It would be right back to Yafutoma with you." That shut her up.  
  
"Now. I want to dock the ship at our base before sunrise. We are nearly out of ammunition and food. No excuses. Emma, I want to in the crow's nest and to guard that sword with your life until we have properly landed."  
  
"Aye, aye Captain Arain!" Emma, unlike Sula or Sparks, was one of the most unlikely to argue. She really hated Valua with a passion.  
  
"You." I snarled at the Silvite, "I've got my eye on you. One wrong move and I swear I will kill you. Is that clear?  
  
He merely growled. I'm sure that a silvite of his status would rather suffer pain and death than take the orders of a woman. The thought made me uneasy. I only got the sword out of his hands by a lucky shot. I could NOT let him back at that sword. EVER.  
  
"I am going to take the wheel now. If I hear any uproar out here from ANYONE, there will not be a pretty sight. I always mean what I say, and on that you can count on." I turned and put my hand on the doorknob, but then turned my head and said, "Oh, and I will get an answer from you by the end of the day." And with that I turned and slammed the door behind me. 


End file.
